An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Register: South Korea's government has posted a tender seeking suppliers to build a universal basic AI chatbot, and an AI agent for government services. The "AI for everyone" plan calls for private entities to create and operate the AI systems under contracts that expire in the year 2031. Bid documents reveal that Seoul will provide up to 256 Nvidia B200 GPUs to successful bidders. Winners must match government funding. The aim of the policy is to ensure that every resident of South Korea can access a free-to-use quality AI chatbot, a tool Seoul has decided no local should be without.

The tender also calls for creation of an agentic system that allows citizens to interact with government services. South Korea's government wants to ensure that residents can always access a locally hosted and operated service, to reduce reliance on overseas providers and ensure that AI services reflect local culture. Successful bidders must therefore use locally developed AI models as the foundation for the services. Bidders have until August 11th to file their proposals. South Korean media reports suggest local tech giants Kakao, Naver, SK Telecom, and LG are all keen to participate.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Voortdurend moeten mensen water oversteken om van A naar B te komen. Hoe doen ze dat en welke problemen doemen daarbij op? Deel 1 in een serie: de Papendrechtsebrug gaat deze vrijdag dicht wegens ‘vermoeidheidsverschijnselen’. „Maar waarom negen maanden?”

Op 24 juli komen lidstaten van het Internationaal Strafhof bijeen voor een speciale zitting over de positie van Khan. Volgens het bestuursorgaan heeft hij zich schuldig gemaakt aan ernstig wangedrag en schending van zijn plichten.

In augustus 2018 stortte in het Noord-Italiaanse Genua de Morandi-brug in. Er vielen 43 doden. Giovanni Castellucci, de oud-topman van de beheersmaatschappij Autostrade per l’Italia, kreeg donderdag twaalf jaar cel. Volgens de nabestaanden is „gerechtigheid geschied”.

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Exposition -- Hindustan Temple

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Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

SergioQ79 - Osanpo Photographer - posted a photo:

A Nishi-Arai, Adachi, ci sono locali che sembrano sul punto di cedere, poi basta guardare meglio: l’insegna è nuova, il menu è visibile, dentro si prepara ancora da mangiare. Yakiniku, oden, cibo caldo per chi entra, mangia e riparte. L’edificio sembra stanco, ma il posto lavora ancora. In questa parte di Tokyo, lontana dalle immagini più consumate della città, il contrasto è semplice: vecchio fuori, vivo dentro.

足立区西新井には、今にも崩れそうに見える店がある。でもよく見ると、看板は新しく、メニューも見えて、中ではまだ食べ物を出している。焼肉、おでん、入って、食べて、また出ていく人のための温かい食事。建物は疲れて見えるが、店はまだ働いている。よく知られた東京のイメージから少し離れた場所で、外は古く、中は生きている。


In Nishi-Arai, Adachi, there are places that look as if they are about to give in, then a closer look changes the reading: the sign is new, the menu is visible, food is still being prepared inside. Yakiniku, oden, warm food for people who come in, eat, and move on. The building looks tired, but the place is still working. In this part of Tokyo, far from the city’s more familiar images, the contrast is simple: old outside, alive inside.

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

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De zwangere vrouw Malak die in het asielzoekerscentrum te Zeist hardhandig werd weggetrokken door een agent die er klaar mee was (en niet wist dat ze zwanger was) heeft daarvan, twee maanden later, alsnog aangifte gedaan. Uiteraard met kneuzendobby & allround zeurpiet Willem Jebbink als advocaat, die de vrouw HEUS NIET zelf heeft opgezocht, maar er heeeel toevallig een verdienmodel van heeft gemaakt om Palestijnse asielzoekers en hun helper-UvA's aan een paar hersteldukaten te helpen door z'n telefoonnummer in allerlei kraakpanden op de muren te spelden. Omdat over haar vervelend agressieve vriendje Mesam Wekdad (een veroordeelde crimineel die voor drugshandel vier jaar in een Griekse cel zat en helemaal niet meer in Nederland had mogen zijn) het verhaal ging dat hij een mes bij zich had (bleek een 'aardappelschiller', hij wilde natuurlijk net piepers schrappen) waren de agenten nogal on edge. Aan Malak is 'meerdere keren gevraagd om weg te gaan in verband met haar veiligheid'. Dat deed ze natuurlijk niet en Wat Er Toen Gebeurde ziet u in het filmpje hierboven. Volgens haar aangifte kreeg ze daardoor 'vroegtijdige weeën en is ze getraumatiseerd'. Uit Mekdads Facebookposts zou later overigens blijken dat het kind gezond is geboren 'ondanks dat de politie het probeerde te doden'.

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Schiphol is een stukje Nee-DDR-land waar nog minder mag dan in, we noemen maar wat, een commissievergadering vol VVD'ers. Op Schiphol reageert men als door een adder gebeten wanneer iemand een eerlijk in Amsterdam gevonden huisdier wil meenemen op reis. Een Canadese vrouw probeerde het helemaal niet ingewikkeld te maken en zoveel mogelijk grip op de zaak te houden door haar crush, een koningspython (kunnen 2 meter lang worden), in haar bh te draperen, maar de autoritaire boa's (BOA'S) van de Voedsel- en Warenautoriteit bleken giftig: "Je mag niet zomaar beschermde dieren meenemen op reis, ook niet als je ze op straat hebt gevonden." Het 'dierenwelzijn' is volgens de NVWA nu het belangrijkst, terwijl de slang misschien juist graag 13 uur tegen de warme boezem van madame aan had gelegen om Wereld Slangendag (TOEVAL?) in het veel slangvriendelijkere Canada te vieren.

Spelled out in big colorful letters that even Google can understand, the EU is now requiring the Chocolate Factory to share search data with competitors while enhancing Android AI interoperability for bots other than Gemini. Needless to say, the company would like to find a way to disable this default. The European Commission (EC) announced a pair of specification decisions on Thursday. The first covers AI vendors' ability to integrate into Google's mobile OS, and the other forces Google to give search data to other search engines in order to “rebalance the playing field," as the EC put it. The specification proceeding, the Commission said, isn’t a noncompliance decision and doesn’t attempt to determine whether Google has been flouting its obligations as a Digital Markets Act gatekeeper (i.e., it’s big enough that it controls access to markets for smaller firms). It only wanted to make sure both parties were clear on what the EC actually wants Google to do to lessen its monopolistic hold on search and its control over the operating system on the majority of the world’s smartphones. Gemini gets pried loose from Android “Currently, on Android phones, competitors' AI assistants only have restricted access to key functionalities,” the EC said. “Today's decision will ensure that users can activate their preferred AI assistant.” Specifically, Google will be required to give third-party AI providers extensive access to Android-powered devices, including allowing them to be voice-activated in place of Gemini, and to take actions in apps on user’s behalf. Google cried foul, as it has when faced with practically any EU decision spanking it for unfair competition. “Today's decisions risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans,” Google and Alphabet president of global affairs Kent Walker said in a statement. More specifically to the AI portion of the decision, Walker said the EC’s ruling is unnecessary, as AI assistants "already safely access Android’s capabilities” inasmuch as OEMs let them. “This Android ruling threatens device security by granting external apps sensitive and powerful device permissions without [OEM] safeguards,” Walker said. Never mind the fact that the Commission spelled out in its FAQ for the AI interoperability specifications that Google and OEMs still retain a good deal of control over their implementations. “In view of the sensitive nature of some of the features, Google may put in place objective and non-discriminatory eligibility conditions to limit access to third parties meeting certain privacy, security and integrity standards,” the EC said. An unreasonable search seizure? As for the search half of the specification decision, the EU was concerned Google’s prior attempts at offering to open up were “innefective so far.” With that in mind, the Commish wants other search engines to be able to access Google data in order to improve their own services and compete more effectively. “Subject to anonymisation, Google should share the same data that it collects to optimise its own search services,” the Commission said, noting that that includes giving AI chatbots access to that data to improve their services as well. “The aim of these measures is to allow companies to be able to offer European users a wider and more feature-rich range of options to choose from, both when it comes to their AI services on Android and to search services.” Google, again, is predictably unhappy. “Europeans’ private searches would be exposed to unfamiliar companies, without adequate anonymisation of the data and without user knowledge or consent,” Walker argued in his response. “This would weaken citizens' privacy, risk business trade secrets, and endanger national security.” The Chamber of Progress, which speaks as a voice for the tech industry and is funded in part by Google, similarly decried the risks of the decision to user safety. “The Commission is ignoring well documented privacy risks to impose a vision of the digital economy, rather than working with industry to find solutions that are safe and supported by consumer demand,” said the group's VP for Europe, Kay Jebelli. “The likely result is services will be pulled while legal challenges are mounted.” Neither Google nor the Chamber bothered to get specific in their responses, and likely with good reason: The Commission made it clear that Google has final say over what gets shared, and spells out various elements of how it will require search data to be anonymized in an FAQ for the search section of the decision. “The decision … allows Google to assess, before sharing any data, whether sharing such data with a specific third party poses serious cyber security and data protection risks,” the Commission explained. Per the FAQ, particular technical elements of the search data sharing anonymization include suppressing search records that contain rare items (e.g., usernames and passwords, addresses, bank account info, etc.), generalization of metadata and grouping users into bundles of at least 1,000 people with similar geographic and device data, and the removal of all direct and indirect identifiers. Additionally, search data shared by Google with other providers “will only be made available to eligible beneficiaries with verified investment plans to improve online search services,” and the use of that data is limited to improving search services. Recipients won’t be allowed to link the data to any other datasets, share it with any third party, and must undergo independent audits to verify safeguards and compliance with EU policy before ever getting access, followed by yearly audits afterward. “The measures will also be subject to biennial reviews to take into account practical experience and any new developments,” the Commission added. Cambridge Analytica redux? Google's complaints are nearly identical to those made when the EU first told it to open up search data in April. So we reached out to understand which points were particularly sticky for the search giant. Jebelli from the Chamber of Progress told us he's concerned that the Commission's decision is overly reliant on contractual restrictions to enforce search privacy – "the same kind … that led to the Cambridge Analytica scandal." Recall, that's when Facebook allowed a third-party firm to collect detailed data about users by offering them a "quiz," then attempted to use this data to influence the US presidential election with microtargeted advertising. When we asked Google for comment, Google pointed us to the statement above, and also provided us with additional background counterpoints. The company called attention to the fact that there's no explicit user consent in the EU's specifications, and also noted that the Commission is only asking for pseudonymization of search data instead of full anonymization. Google also expressed concern over handing search data to AI chatbots, saying that companies like OpenAI could slurp up search data en masse to train their models – an argument we note is somewhat rebuffed by the Commission's point that search data won't be freely available under its proposed schema. As for the AI interoperability concerns, Google told us third-party AI assistants are gaining distribution on Android all the time thanks to OEM agreements, calling the EU's decision a side-step on manufacturers' ability to safely vet AI. The company also told us that giving third-party AI the ability to screen-scrape with system-level access is a huge window for threat actors, dismissing the EU decision as a rushed checklist instead of actual law. The EU said that Google has a right of defense regarding the decisions, and independent judicial scrutiny of today’s announcements is still warranted too. If nothing manages to change the Commission’s mind, Google will be forced to comply with the search data sharing specifications beginning in January 2027, while the AI portion will go into effect in July 2027. In all likelihood it'll be tied up in litigation for far longer than that. ®

Forrester warns that customers should brace for bigger software bills next year as software and AI vendors raise prices and pile on usage charges. Working from a survey of more than 2,600 business and technology decision-makers, the tech research company said software budgets were expected to rise "as vendors increase prices or add usage charges to pass their AI costs to customers." In the last six months, Anthropic, OpenAI, and GitHub have shifted some services away from flat-rate subscriptions toward usage-based billing, prompting cost concerns among users. Forrester added Microsoft to the list, citing its recent launch of the premium E7 license, which bolts M365 Copilot, Agent 365, and security tools onto E5. Last year, consultants Bain & Company estimated that the build cost for AI datacenters would hit $2 trillion by 2030. Forrester said that AI would drive increases in data and software spending, with 80 percent of decision-makers expecting those budgets to rise. Sharyn Leaver, chief research officer at Forrester, said: "The organizations that outperform in 2027 won't be those that spend the most on AI. They'll be the ones that invest in the foundations that make AI effective: trusted data, strong governance, organizational readiness, and the ability to continuously adapt as technology and customer behavior evolve." Forrester also found that personnel costs have yet to fall, despite the "AI washing of layoffs" in the tech industry. "While several tech giants, including Oracle, Microsoft, and Meta, have announced significant layoffs in recent months, IT staffing spend has not declined in recent years," the report said. Staffing accounted for 35 percent of IT budgets in 2025. For 2027, 67 percent of tech decision-makers expected to increase their staffing budget, while 23 percent said it would stay flat, and 10 percent expected it to decline. "The AI washing of layoffs will continue as vendors trim for financial and restructuring reasons. Guard against inflated promises that AI can replace employees across the board. Staffing for data/analytics-specific roles is expected to rise, with 68 percent of data technology decision-makers expecting this budget item to increase," the report said. Forrester said that organizations should adapt their FinOps practices to help manage the unpredictable costs associated with AI. "Traditional FinOps wasn't built for token-based, usage-driven AI costs, but that team is certainly best positioned to build these new capabilities and must make this leap in 2027. Fund runtime cost controls such as model routing, semantic caching, and usage guardrails to prevent runaway spend," the report recommended. In July, KPMG research found that nearly a third of corporate leaders reported difficulty understanding and controlling operating costs when implementing business AI at scale. "As usage-based pricing models become more common, many organizations are still building the capabilities required to forecast, monitor, and manage AI spending effectively," the consultancy said. ®

Imagine never having to reach for your mouse to navigate around Windows again. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? Well wake up: We have some peripherals to burn. Neverclick, from developer Lazo Velko, was published recently with the promise to allow users to perform mouse actions on every single object on their screen with nothing but keyboard shortcuts. Want to close a window, open an application, or click a particular spot on the screen with character-level precision? It’s capable of doing all that, along with selecting multiple spots to click at once to, say, close a bunch of windows at the same time. However, drag and drop and highlight don't work yet. What’s more, Neverclick is completely free, has no account signup, doesn’t serve any ads or collect user data, and works entirely offline, Velko notes in the GitHub readme (the repo is currently for issue reporting only and doesn’t contain the full Neverclick source code). Velko explains on the Neverclick website that he designed the app when he was dealing with a repetitive strain injury that made using a mouse difficult. “I recovered years ago, and I owe it to this software,” the self-professed C++ hater said of his project. “I still use Neverclick every day and can't imagine using my computer without it.” Foolish El Reg reporter, I can hear you saying. This app is nothing new and will have the same problems as other ones: It simply won’t work with software that wasn’t built with accessibility in mind. Velko has heard those complaints, which as he explains in a comment in the Hacker News thread about his app, he didn’t build it with accessibility APIs. He used a computer vision model to perform raw pixel analysis and identify individual elements on the screen instead. “I've had a poor experience with accessibility apis, they're clunky, slow, and unpredictable,” Velko wrote in the thread. “With computer vision you don't have to worry about that.” Velko told The Register in an email that he built the computer vision system himself without relying on any third-party libraries, and he claims that it works far faster than the UI Automation accessibility system in Windows. “I have users that use Neverclick on 10 year old hardware and they tell me that the [computer vision] runs instantly whereas UI Automation is super laggy for them,” Velko wrote on Hacker News. “I can't believe that accessibility APIs are so poorly optimized that raw pixel analysis is faster.” According to Velko, the computer vision model used by Neverclick is small, with the entire app only needing around 40 MB of hard drive space, and using around 200 MB of memory on a typical 1080p monitor when in use, though that varies by resolution and other factors. Neverclock doesn’t run in a continuous loop either, so shouldn’t eat up any CPU unless it’s called on for use. El Reg US Editor Avram Piltch tried Neverclick out on his Windows PC. As described in the documentation, he was able to activate the software by hitting Ctrl + Enter for left-click or Alt + Enter for Ctrl + Left Click (there's no right click mapped by default but you can configure one). After hitting one of those two key combos, his screen was covered in two-letter key combos that the software calls "hints" (e.g. ek, af, jj, etc). If he typed one of those combos, the cursor clicked in that exact spot, whether it was a button, a menu option, or just the middle of a word. Word hints click in the center of a word by default, but you can hit a number like 0 to get to a particular letter. There are also keyboard shortcuts for switching windows. And you get a choice of having the hints appear only in the active window or all throughout your screen. However, the UI can be overwhelming. It is nearly impossible to see all the menus and icons with the hints covering over them. And to make the overlay go away, you have to click. We also noticed that the default shortcut of Ctrl + Enter overrides the same shortcut in other apps. For example, Ctrl + Enter is supposed to send an email in Gmail, but with Neverclick running, it brings up the overlay instead. Neverclick is a Windows-only app for now. Velko said a macOS version is in the works, but he doesn’t have a timeline, he told us in an email. “I'm quite overworked and still need to release a few features for Windows,” he explained. Those features include window dragging and text highlighting by selecting two different hints, triggering whatever text editor is being used to highlight whatever’s between them. You can install Neverclick from its website and it's available now. Once it comes to macOS, you’ll be able to combine it with the AirPods app we wrote about last week that allows users to scroll their screens by tilting their heads up and down for a truly mouse-free experience. ®

If you were to rip open a tattered matchbox, what might you find hidden in its confines? And what’s lurking behind biological renderings and advertisements? Jason Limon imagines a playful world in which vintage illustrations are the colorful veneer concealing a vast, three-dimensional universe populated by skeletons.

The San Antonio-based artist has long painted otherworldly scenes dominated by life after death, when bony figures are stripped of their identities and instead function as anonymous entities. Tapping into emotion and personal experience, Limon continues to conjure the uncanny through a cheeky approach to one of the most universal symbols.

In his most recent works blending acrylic and oil paints, the artist homes in on illusion, opting for a trompe-l’œil technique. Many feature a torn element, as if paper has been ripped away to reveal an otherwise invisible world beneath. While Limon incorporated this effect in previous works, it’s propelled his practice as of late because it offers more space for experimentation.

“It took a bit to press the brakes on how I work, but I intentionally decided to slow the pace of how I create the art while also trying to keep a little bit of playfulness,” he says. “As I play with painting in the background, it has taught me to loosen up in a variety of ways. At some point in the future, the two identities will creatively and visually merge as one.”

Originals and prints are available in Limon’s shop, and you can follow his practice on Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Trompe-L’œil Paintings by Jason Limon Reveal a Hidden Skeletal World appeared first on Colossal.